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Letters to the Editor: Leaving Cert results are not fair reflection

JOHN BURNS describes the Leaving Certificate as fair, transparent and rewarding of honest endeavour (Comment, last week). It is not. It favours students with a capacity for memorising and regurgitating large volumes of information.

Two years of study is judged on a punishing, short schedule of examinations. There are no credits for attendance, assignments or contribution in class. Students may well have done a lot of work in particular sections of the curriculum, but if the specific question does not appear, there is no way for them to display their knowledge. Add to this the stress of performing well in every subject over such a short period of time and you have a disastrous system of examination that punishes the steady, average hardworking student who tries to cover the set curriculum.

Continuous assessment is a common feature at first and third-level education. Perhaps the piece chosen by the Department of